Breakfast and Beauty

Today was a special day.  I had asked our youngest daughter to share makeup tricks and hints she learned while she was a run-way model.  She was nervous about it, but somehow in the way God works--she had been asking to be used and stretched by God.  She knew this was something she needed to do.  I am 5'5"(if I stretch) and pudgy.  They had to stretch my left leg 3/4 of an inch to make my hip replacement fit tight.  I already had a 1/2 inch lift on my right leg--so with another 3/4 of an inch, my right leg is now 1 1/4" shorter than my left.  If I wear my lift on my right foot so that I'm standing up straight--I'm 5'5" tall.  If I stand flat on my right foot without my lift, with my left knee bent to accommodate my right leg--I'm 5'4" tall.  All this just to state again--I'm 5'5" (if I stretch) tall and pudgy.  Our youngest daughter on the other hand, is 6'1" tall without shoes and very svelte.  With her 3" shoes today, I looked really short.  I definitely had to look up to her.  She's a beautiful young woman who not only has outward beauty, but has an inward beauty that only enhances the outer.  I was really hoping we would have quite a few young women to hear her story, but it wasn't turning out that way.  I had prayed a lot for today's special breakfast.  I have been reading a lot of scripture lately about trusting God and praying expecting answers.  Having faith in Him, that He will do, when it is within His will.  When I was younger I had no difficulty being pretty specific with my prayers and thanking God when I knew I was seeing a specific request being answered.  But somehow as I've gotten older I've found it more difficult to pray expectantly.  I tell myself that I have just as much faith, I'm just more realistic-- Until this week.  I was praying again about our morning event and reading in the scriptures where God loves us and He will give us our hearts desire when we delight in Him.  I know that when we ask for Him to do something that we KNOW is in His will--He will do it.  I knew this special time was something He wanted us to do.  So I asked for at least 20 people to attend and hear the words Carrie was going to share with us.  We had 23.  All of this to say, next time I'm asking for a larger number.  Not so we can say we had X number attend, but to remember--God is bigger than my expectations.  He has so much more to share with us than what we limit Him to.  My purpose is to give honor and glory to God, to share His love and the peace that passes all understanding.  Today, watching our youngest share her story of struggles, acceptance, growth and peace, creating her inner beauty--I give God praise.  He has done remarkably more than I could ask or think.

Is it Fun Yet?

I'm resting inside now and Larry's working on the fountain.

OK!  I am excited!  Today has been a really good day.  I have been very leery of stepping on the scale, but I did it this morning!  I have lost a total of 16 pounds.  AND Larry and I went for a walk.  We drove down to the park in Juliaetta and parked the car.  I brought my camera along.  It was such a gorgeous time to be outside.  We walked around the ball park took a few camera shots and headed on down the trail.  It felt so good to be outside and not too cold or hot.  Just right.  I was able to walk on down the trail for about a mile.  Larry stopped walking with me part way and headed back for the car and met me in Juliaetta just beyond the .75 marker.  Am I excited?  You better believe it.  Now if more rain comes rolling in and it looks like that may be the case I can easier handle what it brings.  I've decided to make the most of the good days.  Do something enjoyable along with a little work.  It makes the thought of coming achy days easier to handle.  Am I having fun yet?  Yep, and I'm learning how to fit it in and make it last.  You know as I'm learning what I can do and what I can't, I'm realizing God has been at work in me all this time.  As It gets more difficult to get out some days, He's given me the means to write notes on cards I've made, take photos to share, and do so many other things from my desk that I never had time for when I was able to get out and do all the time.  So, now, for a good cup of coffee and a heating pad on my leg.  God is good. 

Birthday reminises

We had another family birthday celebration Sunday.  The birthday took place Friday, but we were able to all but our sons family get together Sunday afternoon.  You know, I look in the mirror and I see an overweight, not too bad looking, greying, older looking woman.  At least that's what I should see in the mirror.  But often when I look I see the same me that I've seen for 30 years or so.  To my eyes I don't see the age that apparently everyone under 50 sees when they look at me.  I was talking to my Uncle George one time about this very thing.  He said that in his mind he wasn't any older than he was at 16.  But his body betrayed him.  It kept reminding him that 16 was many years ago.  He just couldn't do all those things he had always taken for granted doing.  I was thinking about his statement and I wonder--do you suppose that the mind God blesses us with doesn't age--just our earthly bodies; and that when we get to heaven our perfected mind may still have good memories when it's placed inside an eternal body that's similar to the one we left behind.  No scripture tells us anything like that--it's just me wondering...  Five of our grandchildren now have their drivers licenses.  I remember vividly when their parents started driving.  Birthdays--they come and go and let us know how many years we've spent here.  All of us will continue celebrating as many birthdays as our dear Lord will let us before we stop counting and spend the rest with Him.   

Lord willing and the creek don't rise

I feel like I'm starting my blog all over again.  I quit writing for a couple of days and then every time I thought about coming back, it seemed I just couldn't.  Things didn't exactly go the way I thought they would and it really threw me a curve.  I had plans and they didn't occur, so I quit--but only for a little while.  It's difficult to write when you're feeling down--especially after you have proclaimed that you are going to have fun.  I'm learning something as I struggle through this process of thinking and trying to commit thoughts to paper in some type of order that will make sense.  One of the biggest things I'm learning is that even tomorrow may not look like you think it should today.  One of the phrases that is becoming more and more personal to me is, "Lord willing" I will do this or that.  When I was a little girl my Grandma used to say, "Lord willing, and the creek don't rise" when people would ask her if she was going to this or that, or doing a certain thing.  Those words have been popping up in my mind more and more lately.  I may make plans, but if God has other plans for me--He wins.  At least He had better win.  If I continue to demand my own way He often will allow it, but I will be so much happier if I do things in His timing, His way.  I had decided that I wanted to do something that was really a "good" thing to do, but as I prayed about it a few red flags had gone up, BUT I really wanted to do this "thing".  So I continued pursuing and planning and talking and trying to get things together so I could do this "thing".  Fortunately as the red flags increased I realized that what I had wanted to do was indeed a very good thing, but it wasn't for me to do right now.  I don't like having to back down from anything.  Especially if it's my idea.  But in this case God made it very clear that if I continued pursuing my way, things would not go well.  I gave up my idea.  So since my last blog entry, things have not been fun.  I am still looking for at least a couple days of "fun" activity in a row.  But even though I wasn't having fun, I was getting closer to being the Jesus girl that He wants me to be.  It's hard sometimes to allow Him to be in charge.  To say that I will do thus and so--Lord willing.  People look at me like I'm from the dark ages or something, but you know what?  The more I do it, the easier it gets to say the words, and the easier it gets to live it.  It's also great to be able to know without a shadow of a doubt, that what I'm doing--He's "willing".